OtN: Nightmare
by mathmonkey167
Summary: Short Story! Toothless returns from a two-month journey with Hiccup, only to find that all is not well. His young son, Shade, has been plagued by nightmares, and it's up to Toothless to make it right.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! If this is your first encounter with the Of the Night universe, I must encourage you to read the original Of the Night story, which is complete, and to keep track of the sequel, Choices, Change, and Fate. **

**For those of you who are already familiar with Of the Night and its characters, every so often I'll post a little one- or two-shot that took place between OtN and the sequel, because seventeen years is a long time, wouldn't you agree?**

* * *

><p>"Mama, where's Daddy?"<p>

"Daddy had to go on a trip with Hiccup."

"Why?"

"Because it's his duty, love."

"Duty? Why?"

"Because he's the Alpha, and even if he wasn't, he is still the Hooligan Chief's partner. The Dragon Chief wouldn't be much without his dragon, would he?"

"But when will he be back?"

"Soon, love."

Shade scrunched up his face, his large blue eyes narrowed. "How soon?"

Lightning let out an exasperated sigh, but that didn't erase her smile. "Soon enough. Now, time for you to go to bed."

"But-"

"No buts. Young dragons need their sleep."

"I'm not tired!"

"Oh really?"

"Reallyyyyaaaaahhhh!" Shade finished with an enormous yawn, then blinked with surprise. "Okay, maybe a little."

"Just a little." She laughed and scooped him up with her paw, leaning back to sit on her haunches while holding him to her chest. Her wings came up to wrap around them both, and she held him close until-

"Moooom! You're squishing me!"

"Yeah, yeah." Lightning relaxed her embrace a little, still holding him with one paw as she dropped back to her feet and wandered to the corner where she slept every night with her mate, and now her son.

For a moment she paused and looked at the depressions in the straw and blankets in the corner. This wouldn't be the first night she had spent without Toothless since becoming his mate, but it marked the beginning of the longest time she would be spending without him. _Yet_. The longest time _yet_. She resisted the urge to growl, not wanting to disturb her son as he drifted off to sleep. With another, quieter sigh, she padded onto the blankets and settled into her usual position, curling around her now-unconscious hatchling, and imagining the large warm body that usually pressed up against her.

_Oh, Toothless. _She closed her eyes_. What was she going to do for two whole months without him? _

* * *

><p>Lightning awoke in the predawn hours. <em>Today's the day!<em> Not wanting to wake Shade, she lay still, impatiently waiting for the sun to rise.

Finally the dawn came, and as usual, Shade was up with the sun. Lightning didn't dare remind him of the day's significance, because she'd never hear the end of it. At least, until the end of it.

They ate a nice breakfast of the fish Astrid had kindly brought up yesterday, and Lightning listened with one ear as Shade described his dreams. But he had her full attention when he told her that he'd had THE dream again.

Not so much a dream, but a nightmare. "Why didn't you wake me?" she asked her son, who looked down at his tiny claws.

"I wanted you to get all the sleep so you could be awake for today."

"What's today?"

"Daddy comes home today."

Her jaw dropped, and quickly she shut her mouth. _How could she have thought for a moment that he would forget?_ Shade was quite a bright hatchling, even for a Night Fury.

"That's right," she finally said. "So finish your breakfast, and you can go play with your friends until he gets back."

"Can I stay with you?"

Lightning wanted to say no. After all, he was very energetic, and she'd rather him be tuckered out at the end of the day after playing with the other hatchlings. But he'd had that nightmare again… his eyes were wide and pleading, and in the expression she could see her mate.

"Okay," she relented, and his ears perked up. Wisely, though, he didn't say anything, simply digging into his remaining fish.

After they finished, Shade hopped up onto his mother's shoulders, and the two dragons left the shelter, just as the door to the Chief's house opened and Astrid stepped out, holding Aeri. Both mothers stopped short at the sight of each other, before beginning to laugh, and their respective charges began squirming at the sight of each other.

"Hey, Lightning," the blonde woman walked over, holding her child out as she giggled and kicked her small chubby legs out. "Do you mind if I…"

Lightning nodded with a smile, and sat still as Astrid set Aeri's feet on her head. Guided by her mother's hands, the young human reached out and gurgled, "Sade!"

Shade let out his own high-pitched rumble in response, dutifully coming closer so that his human could pat his head. Both mothers smiled, and Shade sniffed around Aeri's face, causing her to giggle delightedly as her hair was pushed in all different directions.

The wind picked up, and Aeri began to shiver, so Astrid pulled her back into her arms and wrapped her in her blanket. But before she could suggest that they all make their way to the cliffside to wait, Lightning picked up a faint scent, one that was just slightly different than Astrid's usual human smell. She stood and stepped closer, sniffing around Astrid, until it finally dawned on her.

"What is it, girl?"

She looked up into the woman's eyes incredulously, and Astrid knew that there was no point in trying to deny it.

"Yes, it's true. I figured it out last week, so don't go blabbing to anyone, you hear?"

Lightning snorted at the suggestion that she spill the human's secrets, gently nuzzling her torso, before turning to head down through the village. Behind her, Astrid couldn't stop the smile from spreading on her face. _Dragons were a perceptive bunch. _

The day seemed interminably long as they waited on the cliffside for a glimpse of a ship on the horizon. Stormfly, who preferred to sleep in, made her way to where they sat just before midday. Several times, villagers approached their Chief's wife, seeking her advice on various matters, which she gave to the best of her ability. Valka and Cloudjumper, who was acting Alpha while Toothless was gone, joined them for a while, and the older woman cheerfully watched over her first grandchild as Aeri played with Shade.

Finally, as the sun set, a faint dark point appeared on the horizon. Astrid was leaning up against Lightning's side, nearly asleep, and Lightning had one eye closed and the other on their children.

"Hey, Lightning," a voice said in her ear, and she started, causing Astrid to grumble and shift.

"What— oh, hey, Spike," she greeted the Terrible Terror that had joined her so long ago the first time she had been without her mate. How had she thought then that six days was a long time? Two months was like a lifetime. So much happened, and every moment of the day she found herself thinking of things to tell him, little unimportant pieces of information or random thoughts that she knew would get him to laugh. She supposed that this time was different because she knew he was coming back for certain, but even so, waking up each morning without him by her side left an ache in her chest that just wouldn't go away.

"Check that out," the Terrible Terror squeaked, and Lightning narrowed her eyes, gazing out to the setting sun. Then she saw it.

Two months. And now he was within her reach once again.

"Look, Shade!" she called out to her son, and he turned, squinting at the horizon.

"What is it?"

"What do you think it is?"

His jaw dropped and he looked at her with intensity. "Dad."

She nodded, unable to say anything more, and eagerly they stood, catching the humans' attention.

"Wha-" Astrid mumbled as she slumped to the ground, then sat bolt upright, staring hard at the horizon just as Shade had.

After a while, more dragons and people joined them, and slowly but surely the smudge grew larger, until they could clearly make out the shape of a ship, sails filled with a strong wind. A number of dragon and human patrols flew out to meet them, even though they knew who was approaching.

"Come on, Shade!" Lightning called out, spreading her wings and crouching so he could jump up to her shoulders.

But he stayed where he was, looking sad and uncertain, and her heart nearly broke as she understood why. _The nightmare_. So she closed her wings and went over to him.

"It's alright," she whispered, only loudly enough for him to hear as they ignored the curious glances of dragons and humans alike. "I understand."

He nodded slightly, staring down at the ground, and she gathered him up, holding him close. "We will get past this, don't you worry," she said softly, and she felt him nod against her neck.

Lightning hoped Toothless would have some idea of how to help their hatchling, because she had already tried everything she knew of to release the hold his fear had on him.

It wasn't an unreasonable fear, she knew, but it was preventing him from flying like all the other hatchlings his age, and she didn't want him to feel left behind.

"All of you, head down to the docks! They'll need help unloading the ship." Astrid's voice disturbed her thoughts, and looking out she could see that the ship was much closer, close enough to see the men and dragons onboard as they guided the ship to the larger, more extensive docks that had been reconstructed after the Bewilderbeast destroyed half the village.

Obeying her order, the Vikings who had gathered set off towards the wide walkway leading down to the sea.

"Look, Aeri!" Astrid said to her baby, raising an arm and pointing to the ship. "It's Daddy."

"Dada?"

"Yes, Dada."

"Dada!" she shrieked loudly, and Astrid laughed. Her only consolation these past months was seeing Hiccup in their daughter, from her auburn hair to her vivid green eyes, and knowing that perhaps their next child would be the same.

Finally the ship reached the island, and Astrid met Lightning's eyes, before both grinned and took off running for the docks, carrying their children. People leapt out of their way laughing, knowing why they were in such a hurry. They pushed their way through the bustle on the docks, shouting apologies and greeting those who had returned. _But where were their mates?_


	2. Chapter 2

Shade sat on his mother's shoulders, peering around for any sign of his father. The busy docks lay in the shadow of the island, the sky a brilliant shade of orange above them. He could see a few stars appearing where the twilight was creeping forward.

"Toothless?" Lightning called out finally, not seeing her mate among the throng of dragons and humans.

At the same time, Astrid called out Hiccup's name, gently rocking Aeri back and forth as the young child picked up on her mother's impatience and began to fuss. Gobber appeared at the top of the gangplank and hobbled his way down, his belly shaking with a laugh.

"Hey, Astrid! And hello there, young lady," the old smith leaned in to coo at Aeri, who laughed, trying to pull on his long mustache. They spun in a half circle, so that Astrid's back was to the ship.

"Hey, Gobber," Astrid smiled, but her sense of urgency did not diminish. "Where is-" she nearly squealed as long arms wrapped around her from behind, hands coming to rest on her own where they supported her daughter.

"Dada!" Aeri shrieked, squirming madly trying to crawl up her mother's torso to get to him.

"My beautiful ladies!" Hiccup nimbly scooped his daughter out of his wife's arms and she spun around, smacking him in the chest. "Oof! What was that for?"

"_That's_ for scaring me," and Hiccup couldn't disguise his broad grin, for he knew what was coming next. "And _this_-"

He cut her off by settling his lips onto hers, holding a gleeful Aeri in one arm and sliding his other around Astrid's lower back to pull her closer. Her hands slid up his chest and neck, passing over the thick stubble on his jaw to twine in his long hair.

Watching this display, Lightning nearly sighed, until she heard a snort of amusement in her ear and a shriek from her son where he sat on her neck.

_How in the world had he gotten behind her?_ Lightning was tempted to smack him but she had missed him so much that all she could do was press her face into her mate's neck and breathe him in.

Shade gazed at his father's face hungrily, examining him for any signs of injury. None. His parents were busy nuzzling at each other, whispering in each other's ears, so he waited. Finally Toothless looked up to see two large blue eyes staring at him intently, and he laughed. "I was wondering where you were, and all this time you've been right here-"

He was cut off as Shade suddenly leapt at him, clinging to his father's neck as he said softly, "I missed you."

Toothless blinked with surprise. His son had never been overly attached to him, so this was different. "I missed you too, Shade. Did you grow? You know I told you that you weren't allowed to grow while I was gone."

Lightning felt as her world shifted back into normalcy. "He did grow," she smiled.

"You're almost too big for your mother to be carrying you around!" Well, that was untrue. Lightning had successfully carried around a five-year-old Ash for some time, and Shade was barely two. Shade was about to protest when his father continued. "I think you should be flying on your own about now, don't you agree?"

Toothless saw his son's small face go blank, blue eyes wide. _What... _he wondered what he had said wrong, when Lightning quickly interjected, distracting him.

"We can talk more about that later," she said hastily. "Let's go eat dinner, shall we?"

"Okay," he replied slowly, letting Shade slide to the ground. The small Night Fury backed up until he hit his mother's legs, not looking at Toothless. _His father was safe, _he tried to reason with himself, and he almost succeeded, until-

_For now_. The unsettling thought forced its way into his mind, and Shade hid his scowl, climbing up his mother's back. His parents set off side by side, following Hiccup and his own little family along the walkway up the cliff.

"Where are Ash and Cinder?" Toothless asked Lightning, and she smiled.

"They went off adventuring yesterday with some of the other younger dragons whose parents desperately needed a break for a couple of days. I doubt they would have gone if they'd remembered you were coming back today, though. In any event, I imagine they will be back soon."

She was right. The two parents and their hatchling were eating dinner with the other dragons, when two black blurs crashed into Toothless from behind. The three of them tumbled into the enormous trough of fish, which was enormously amusing to the various dragons gathered around it.

"Gah!" Toothless yelped as Cinder and Ash jumped up and down on his exposed chest and belly.

"You're back, you're back, you're back!"

"I know! And you two weren't here to greet me." He pretended to pout, before his smile returned and he tossed both of them from the bowl, rolling out after them. "Ugh, and now we all need baths."

"No!" Cinder yelled, and Lightning gently tapped him on the head with her tail.

"Oh yes," she said, sticking out her tongue at his scowl.

While all of this was happening, Shade watched curiously. He understood how much everyone loved his father, it was something that just _was, _like the sky being blue. While he didn't know the exact circumstances surrounding Cinder and Ash being on Berk, seeing as how they weren't his siblings, to him it was just another thing that _was. _And he accepted them as a part of his family, even though he didn't see them as his brother or sister. So he was used to them messing around with his father and mother, and he was used to them staying in the shelter with them most nights.

Fortunately, they always seemed to sleep through his nightmares, which generally woke his mother. Shade's heart sank. Now that his father was home, maybe they would stop, but there was no telling for certain.

Ash noticed his unusual somberness and approached him while his parents asked Cinder about their adventuring. "What's the matter, Shade?"

He blinked his blue eyes at her, not saying anything, and she wondered if something was actually wrong.

Finally, though, he spoke. He liked Ash. She was fun to be around, and nice, and he felt that she would understand if he told her about the nightmares. "I was just thinking about this dream I've been having," he said slowly, and Ash tilted her head in surprise.

"You mean the one you've been having since your dad left?"

It was Shade's turn to be surprised. "Yes."

"What about it?"

"I was just hoping that maybe, now that he's home, it might go away."

"Hmm…" she paused, looking thoughtful, when her brother ran up with a fish and smacked her in the face with it, effectively ending their brief conversation. After the ensuing food fight, the Night Furies all went to the river to bathe.

Once every black scale shone spotlessly in the moonlight, they all returned to the shelter, pleasantly tired. Nestled next to his mother and father, Shade was hopeful that the nightmare wouldn't return. So he closed his eyes, drifting off into slumber.

* * *

><p><em>Come on, Shade! <em>

Shade looked around, spying his father crouching in a playful stance next to the cliffside, a goofy toothless smile on his face.

_Come on!_ His father turned and leapt out into the air, beating his wings to stay aloft as he soared in a wide arc.

Excited, Shade ran to the edge, watching his father's acrobatics with awe. But a strange hissing sound caught his attention, and he looked down.

Where the sea should have been was a great black maw, a dark vortex drawing in everything that crossed it. Horrified, Shade looked up to see his father struggling to stay aloft, no longer flying freely in the cheerful blue sky but desperately straining to escape the pull in a murky twilight. Shade wanted to help him, but he had problems of his own. The cliff beneath his feet began to crumble, and frantically he scrambled backwards, to no avail.

_Dad!_

He watched as his father fought his way towards him, reaching out with his paws.

_Jump, Shade!_

_I can't!_

He was trapped on a tiny ledge that was quickly eroding, each chunk of earth dropping into the chaos below them.

_Jump!_

Shade looked into his father's eyes, so close now, and so full of fear.

But he couldn't jump, and with a loud roar the darkness seemed to stretch up from the abyss, swallowing his father in an instant.

_Shade._

_Dad! Dad! _

"Shade!"

* * *

><p>He was screaming uncontrollably, and terrified, Toothless turned to his mate, who looked like she wanted to sob.<p>

"It's never usually this bad," she whispered.

"Dad! _Dad!_"

_Wait_... Shade was calling out for _him_. _What was going on?_

Ash and Cinder were sitting up, huddled together as they watched with growing horror.

"Shade! Son!" Toothless shouted, shaking his hatchling with his paw.

"Dad! Aaaaaahhhhh!"

"I'm here! I'm right here!"

The door flew open, and torchlight spilled in. "Toothless! Bud, what's going on?!"

Hiccup took a step back at the sight of the small Night Fury shrieking in his sleep, before running over. "Shade! Toothless, what's wrong with him?"

Toothless could only shake his head, his heart pounding. Suddenly the screaming stopped, and Shade lay still. Fearfully Toothless reached out and rested his paw on his son's small body.

With a loud gasp the small dragon sat up, looking around frantically, until his wide gaze settled on his father's concerned face.

"Shade," Toothless began. "What-"

Shade's small features crumpled and he broke out into a heart-wrenching wail. Confused and afraid, Toothless reached out again and gathered his son up with one paw, holding him close to his chest.

Hiccup, just as concerned, helped Lightning fix the bedding that Shade had scattered with his thrashing, stepping back to take in the sight of his beloved dragon cradling his whimpering hatchling, making low crooning sounds in his throat. He noticed Cinder sitting close to his little sister, who was trembling, and he approached them, crouching with the torch in hand. "It's okay," he whispered to them, and Cinder nodded slowly. "Whatever is wrong, we will fix it. Promise." Yawning widely, the human Chief stood, and with one last glance at Toothless, backed out of the shelter.

The Alpha was frightened. The most precious thing in the world to him was suffering, and it had something to do with him.

"You said this has happened before?" he whispered to his mate, who swallowed and nodded, afraid to see his reaction.

Rather than fill with uncertainty, though, Toothless's eyes nearly glowed with resolve, and Lightning was reminded again why she loved her mate so much.

"Go back to sleep," she said softly to Cinder and Ash, padding over to them and nuzzling their heads. Yawning, they didn't argue, settling back onto their own beds. She walked back to where her mate lay, their son tuck up next to his chest, and she laid down next to them, snuggling in close. Shade was breathing slowly and evenly, and Lightning hoped his rest would remain peaceful at least for the rest of the night. With one last meaningful glance into Toothless's eyes, she lowered her head. Tomorrow they could try to solve this problem. For now, sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Whoops. Looks like this isn't going to be a two-shot after all. Stay tuned... <strong>


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